THE former boss has launched a bid for the cash and it comes after Thistle launched a legal action against McNamara for £80,000 compensation he was obliged to pay.

JACKIE McNamara is claiming a £40,000 bonus from former club Partick Thistle after they secured promotion to the SPL.

The demand, served by McNamara’s
solicitors yesterday, is the latest twist in a bitter war of words since he left the Jags to join Dundee United in January.

Thistle have already launched a legal action against McNamara for £80,000 compensation he was obliged to pay in order to get out of his one-year rolling contract.

However RecordSport understands the club had initially rejected that fee in January as they tried in vain to convince their manager to stay.

But
since then Thistle have taken steps to recoup that compensation and have urged McNamara to show the integrity to honour his contract.

Now McNamara – who has so far kept his counsel on the conflict – has hit back with a counter-claim for around half that.

His representatives will argue there is another clause within the contract terms that must also be honoured by the club – his bonus for helping them to win the First Division.

The Jags were sitting in second place with two games in hand over leaders Morton when McNamara left for Tannadice.

Since then new boss Alan Archibald has taken over McNamara’s squad and led them on a 15-match unbeaten run to secure promotion to the top flight.

Seething
Partick Thistle insiders argue that if Archibald guides them to victory
at Dumbarton today he’ll have earned as many points (40) from 16 league games as McNamara did in the first 20 matches before quitting the club.

A
Firhill source said: “McNamara’s rolling one-year contract with the club – which was renewed in December with improved financial terms equating to a 50 per cent increase – was terminated by McNamara in writing on January 30 when he quit for Dundee United.

“At which point any obligation to pay a bonus was annulled.”

Last night McNamara confirmed his legal representatives have been in contact with Thistle.

He said: “The matter is in the hands of my lawyers and it would be wrong of me to make any comment until everything is resolved.”